OnStar by GM Expands Its Industry-leading Service Portfolio With the Only Service That Lets Your Vehicle Tell You How It's Doing Every Month DETROIT, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- OnStar announced today it has added a significant and new subscriber service to its industry-leading in-vehicle communications portfolio. The new "only GM" service, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, automatically performs hundreds of diagnostic checks on four key GM vehicle operating systems -- the engine/transmission, anti-lock brake, airbag and OnStar. The vehicle is automatically programmed to send the results via email to the owner each month. The unique email report also provides maintenance reminders based on the vehicle's current odometer reading, remaining engine oil-life and other relevant vehicle ownership and OnStar subscription information. This new monthly vehicle diagnostic service is offered to eligible OnStar subscribers at no additional charge. OnStar subscribers can always request a GM Goodwrench(R) Remote Diagnostics check at any time during the month by pressing their blue OnStar button. OnStar advisors perform "real-time" remote diagnostics checks for subscribers about 27,000 times a month. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics is exclusively for GM customers and enhances GM's commitment to its Total Value Promise. No other manufacturer offers these two unique, valuable and comprehensive diagnostic services to its customers remotely to the vehicle or directly to the customer's home computer. "OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics demonstrates how GM is leading the way with innovative new products and services that enhance the vehicle ownership experience and give customers more than they expected," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, which is exclusively for GM customers, enhances GM's commitment to our Total Value Promise. Only GM offers this industry-leading technology, and it's available across the breadth of our portfolio." OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics service can be activated on millions of 2004 model-year or newer OnStar-equipped GM vehicles that have GM's exclusive Oil- Life System and diagnostic capabilities. An active OnStar subscription is required for enrollment. Offered as an opt-in service, subscribers can enroll at the OnStar website (http://www.onstar.com/ ) or by simply pressing their blue OnStar button and asking an advisor to enroll them in the service. Once enrolled, OnStar subscribers receive monthly vehicle diagnostic reports covering four key operating systems and recommended maintenance reminders based on the vehicle's current odometer reading. The "real-time" report is sent directly to the OnStar subscriber's computer desktop via email each month, providing customers additional peace-of-mind when driving in their vehicle. The report also matches the vehicle's current odometer reading to the GM Simplified Maintenance Schedule so that customers are informed about recommended maintenance services. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics participants receive the added peace-of-mind in knowing the operational status of four key vehicle systems and the convenience of a regular maintenance report -- all at no additional cost to their OnStar subscription. "OnStar is committed to providing unparalleled peace-of-mind to its subscribers by helping keep them safe while driving. OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics gives our subscribers added confidence that their vehicles are ready for the road," said Chet Huber, president of OnStar. "By combining OnStar's vehicle diagnostics email service with our in-vehicle GM Goodwrench(R) Remote Diagnostics service, our subscribers receive relevant and valuable information about their GM vehicle on their computer or directly from the OnStar advisor while driving." Approximately 85% of surveyed OnStar subscribers say they value the added peace-of-mind and convenience vehicle diagnostic services provide and these subscribers consider vehicles with such a feature to be reliable, safe, high- quality and high-tech. In the 2005 J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study(SM) over half the people surveyed were interested in remote vehicle diagnostics. Moreover, when asked to allocate a given amount of money toward the features they would like on their next new vehicle, remote vehicle diagnostics ranked 3rd among the 18 traditional and new features included in the question. The 2005 study is based on responses from more than 17,000 U.S. consumers and the study is designed to measure consumer familiarity, interest and purchase intent for emerging automotive technologies. GM's Oil-Life System is a GM-exclusive technology only available on GM vehicles and is both friendly to the pocketbook and to the environment. The industry recommendation of changing oil every three months or three thousand miles is based on oil quality of the mid-1970s, which has vastly improved since that time. The GM Oil-Life System monitors key engine operating conditions. In today's GM vehicles, it is common to safely travel 8,500 or more miles between oil changes when this industry-exclusive technology is used as intended. By following the GM Oil-Life System, it is estimated that more than 100-million gallons of oil could be saved over the next five years on the millions of GM vehicles that already have this system. In addition to OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, OnStar's portfolio of safety, security and convenience services, includes automatic air bag notification, emergency services, roadside assistance, GM Goodwrench(R) remote diagnostics, remote door unlock, driving directions and routing, points-of-interest location, stolen vehicle location assistance and hands-free calling. On a monthly basis (average for May - July 2005), OnStar responds to approximately: -- 400 stolen vehicle location assistance calls -- 900 air bag notification calls -- 140 Advanced Automatic Crash Notification calls -- 15,000 emergency calls -- 27,000 GM Goodwrench(R) remote diagnostic service requests -- 23,000 roadside assistance calls -- 43,000 remote door unlock requests -- 383,000 route assistance calls -- 9,500,000 OnStar Hands-Free Calling calls For 2006, OnStar is available on more than 50 GM vehicles including SUVs, light trucks, minivans, crossovers, large and midsize sedans, and small cars. Only GM is committed to offering a full range of vehicles that offer safety protection before, during and, with OnStar, after a crash. For more OnStar information or to download a high-resolution image of an OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail, visit http://onstar.internetpressroom.com/pressroom.cfm About OnStar by GM OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services using wireless technology and the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network. OnStar is available on more than 50 GM models for 2005. Over the next several years, OnStar Service will become a standard feature for one year for GM's retail customers in the United States and Canada, covering all segments and prices except for some commercial vehicles. OnStar safety and security services include automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, and GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics. OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated calls from their vehicle. Hands-free calling requires a Hands-Free Calling Enabled Vehicle, existing OnStar service contract and prepaid calling minutes. More information about OnStar can be found at http://www.onstar.com/ . OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics is available on most 2004 MY and newer GM vehicles delivered after 4-21-04 and equipped with the GM Oil-Life System. Not available on Pontiac Vibe and Saab 9-3 or 9-5. Diagnostic capabilities vary by model. A valid email address is required for participation. DATASOURCE: General Motors Corporation CONTACT: OnStar: Keith Yaden, +1-313-667-0784, cell: +1-248-765-3049, or Terry Sullivan, +1-313-665-2816, cell: +1-313-378-8212, ; J.D. Power and Associates: John Tews, Director, Media Relations, +1-248-312-4119, Web site: http://media.gm.com/ http://www.gm.com/ http://www.onstar.com/ http://onstar.internetpressroom.com/pressroom.cfm

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